Sunday, 5 October 2014

"Recorded at the Yoga Barn in Ivy, Virginia, Tim Discusses Sutras I.4, I.12 and I.30. Many thanks to Tim, Jennifer Elliott and Ashtanga Yoga Charlottesville. The full length recording of this class along with a led primary series recorded on Hanuman's Birthday and an afternoon session of the subtle practices of the Ashtanga Yoga Practice will be available on iHanuman later this summer. Enjoy this short selection and stay tuned to find more of Tim's teachings".

Here's part of Chapter 1 and Tim;s first Ashtanga class. "...I told Nate I'd be back tomorrow, a Friday, to check out a class.

The next day I wandered down the block to the church at five o'clock. Approaching the front doors apprehensively, I noticed they were painted in a mysterious way. The branches of a tree supported two figures in meditation, the right one silhouetted against the sun, the left one in front of the moon. The door knob was cleverly disguised as a knot in the tree trunk, as if whoever was inside didn't really want any one else finding their way in.

Entering the church, I was surprised by the roominess inside. The high pitched, open beam ceiling and uncluttered floor space made the building seem much larger inside than out. In the dim light I could make out a few people doing yoga.

A guy who was lighting candles walked towards me, smiled, and introduced himself as "Brad". Brad had long golden hair, receding a little in front, a full beard, and twinkling blue eyes. Wearing only a pair of Speedos, Brad's short, muscular body resembled a small oak tree.

"Are you a teacher or a student?" I asked.

"Both," was his amused and ambiguous reply. "Are you here to do some yoga?"

"I guess so," I stammered, trying to sound non-committal and suddenly aware of the inappropriateness of my attire, dressed as I was in jeans and a flannel shirt.

Brad asked me to remove my shoes and directed me to a place on the carpet. He explained that to warm up we would do a series of movements called Surynamaskara (salutation to the sun). We did several Suryanamaskaras and Brad taught me how to synchronize my breath with the movement. Satisfied with my progress, Brad demonstrated a second, more complicated version of Surynamaskara. This was more difficult and I soon began to perspire in my jeans and flannel shirt as I struggled to keep up. After half a dozen of the second Surynamaskara I was drenched in sweat.

Brad explained that getting warm served a dual purpose-it made the body more flexible and sweating removed toxins through the skin. I noticed that I felt considerably looser than when we started. He showed me several standing poses then led me through the movements of Surynamaskara as far as the downward dog. At this point he lightly jumped through his arms to a sitting position. He indicated that I was to do the same. Clumsily, I attempted to mimic his maneuver, landing noisily in a heap beside him.

We began to do some seated forward bends with one or both legs bent in interesting ways. Between these poses Brad showed me how to lift myself up with my arms while crossing my legs, then jump back into a push up position. From there we inhaled to an upward dog, exhaled to a downward dog, then jumped through the arms again. Brad called these movements "vinyasa". "The vinyasas," he explained, "make you pay attention to your breathing, keep your body warm, build strength, and put your spine back into neutral between the sitting poses."

After about an hour of this I began to show some signs of fatigue, so Brad had me lie down and showed me some variations on the shoulder stand. He explained that the inversions cooled the body down and helped restore energy by supplying fresh blood to the brain. Following the shoulder stand we sat cross legged for some deep breathing. We sat for a few minutes in the lotus position and Brad explained a kind of breathing he called "ujjayi'-the victorious breath. "Breath in through the nose but from the throat so you can hear the breath as it passes through the throat." I had never been comfortable in the lotus position until this moment and the ujjayi breathing was having an intoxicating effect. Immersed in the sound and fullness of the breath, I felt like I was floating.

Suddenly Brad extended his arms downward and lifted his lotus off the floor. He began to breathe in a rapid and forceful manner and I tried to do the same. We did about a hundred breaths like this until my arms began to shake. After lowering my lotus to the floor I struggled for a moment to release my legs, which by now were completely numb.

Brad grabbed my feet and stretched my legs out to get some circulation back into my knees and ankles. Once I had some feeling back in my legs he asked me to stand up and clasp my hands behind my neck, letting my shoulders relax so the elbows came together on my chest. Standing behind me, Brad reached around me with both arms, lacing his fingers together around my elbows. "Take a deep breath," he said. As I exhaled, he lifted me off the floor and squeezed me against his chest. My spine cracked in half a dozen places. "Lie down," Brad suggested. He covered me with a blanket and said, "Rest now, for at least fifteen minutes."

As I lay there I noticed that my whole body was tingling. A relaxing warmth spread through me and a deep sense of stillness came over me. Accustomed as I was to my habitual anxiety or depression, with the accompanying mental chatter, I was both surprised and delighted to find myself feeling so peaceful. The sound of other people's ujjayi breathing accented the stillness.

A feeling of familiarity, of being at home-but a home I hadn't visited in a long time-came over me. The candlelight flickered on the walls and cast dancing shadows. I felt my heart beating slowly and strongly in my chest. A few people began to chant in a resonant language I figured must be Sanskrit. I could feel the vibrations of the chanting in my body. It felt good and strangely reassuring.

When the chant ended I got up slowly and folded the blanket. Brad walked over and took it from me. "Thank you," I said, feeling the words were terribly inadequate to express what I had just experienced. "You're welcome," he replied. "I'll see you Monday," I promised. "Good," said Brad".

A Reminder

from Kalama sutra, translation from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi This blog included.

"So, as I said, Kalamas: 'Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, "This contemplative is our teacher." When you know for yourselves that, "These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering" — then you should abandon them.' Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said.

"Now, Kalamas, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that, 'These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness' — then you should enter & remain in them. Buddha - Kalama Sutta